Aphrodisian

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Scope note
Refers to the style of sculpture that developed in the area of Aphrodisias, in Caria, Asia Minor, modern Turkey. The site was a major cult center of an ancient Anatolian fertility goddess, and later of the goddess Aphrodite, and thus is associated with artistic production from the second millennium BCE or earlier. However, it truly flourished as an artistic center beginning with the reign of the Julio-Claudian emperors in the first century BCE and lasting until the fifth century CE. The sculptural style is characterized by the use of exquisite marble that was quarried nearby, a bichrome marble pallette, thematic sophistication, creative originality, and a wide distribution to many parts of the Roman Empire. Some scholars believe that a workshop of this school also existed in the city of Rome itself.
Aphrodisian
Accepted term: 18-Nov-2024